BR-navigation Bayern 2-Zündfunk Swedish legends of the ABBA hype on Tikkok proves that the band inspires every generation anew

The Swedish legends Abba are again the big thing.A look at the tie or Instagram proves: Generation Z also flies to the colorful catchy pop anthems and costumes.Everyone loves ABBA.And especially because I finally overcome trauma.A comment.   

By: Alba Wilczek

Status: 07/29/2021

It is in 2005. I am eight years old and stand at the gates of my elementary school in Fürth.It is February, carnival time.I have been looking forward to this carnival party for weeks.The little Alba loves dressing up.I go as my absolute childhood idol: Agnetha fellskog.The blonde siren of the Swedish band Abba.My unmatched favorite band.And today, today the time has come.My big appearance.Under my brown fur coat a 1 A Agnetha costume: a red two-part velvet, the arms ending in squeaky-colored trumpet sleeves.(For the connoisseurs: based on Agnetha's outfit in the video for "Ring Ring".) My mother had recovered the fumbling a week earlier for me.JACKPOT!

Former laughed at - today TikKOK ABBA is discovered

Manistdas exciting.I open the door and my primary school teacher greets me: "Hey you look colorful, what are you?"-"I am the singer Agnetha from Abba," I say.Only when I put my coat on one of the chairs do I see the eyes of Meinerch students: inside."Are you a clown?" Asks the one."No, it looks more like a freak from the circus!", Another.Uff.A freak.That sat.The laugh too.And the afternoon was running for the Alba from that time.A shame.If she only knew what kind of direct hit she actually landed.

Cut into the present.2021. I sit on the cell phone and scroll through Tikkok.Every fifth video: something with ABBA.Yeah right.Like so many other generations in front of her, the generation of social media, which gen z disc discovers: discovered in the inside.Abba never felt gone, now they are very big on small smartphone displays.Once the catchphrase thrown in on Instagram or Tikok and there they are: the fan pages, the memes, the reanactements.The Mamma-Mia Musical films in particular are impressed by the Internet.

Pioneering hype across all generations

It looks more precisely like this: there would be a mum that starts dancing directly when she recognizes the first tones of "Dancing Queen".A dance challenge in which "Gimme Gimme Gimme (a Man After Midnight)" dance skills are unpacked.And a young girl who styles her hair like Agnetha.Yes, even Queen Miley Cyrus - an important figure of identification for young people and queers - recently covered Abba in her "Miley Pride Special":

YouTube preview - No YouTube data is loaded.

Miley Cyrus - Dancing Queen [Abba Cover] (Preview "Stand by You") Ft. Maren Morris

I would like to activate YouTube content and agree that data from YouTube is loaded.My data protection settings

Under the videos it is teeming with comments. Users write things like "Omg Yes I Love Abba", "Abba is the best band in the world - still" or "Abba Made Me Feel Normal As a Gay Person". Striking: All the comments are almost consistently positive. Rather rarely for the Internet, but no wonder. Because Abba is there for everyone. Always. The hype around the band at the time in the 70s and 80s was groundbreaking. Over 365 million records sold, numerous world tours, hits for eternity and a huge fan base. They were new, fresh and not traditional at all. In addition to Frida and Agnetha, the men of the band, Benni and Björn often wore skin-colored costumes and plateau boots. An insane template for thousands of drag costumes. And for teenagers, no matter what gender who were looking for their sexuality. The four band members gave a really good team. And their songs? They sounded catchy and "simple", but were very difficult to copy.

Abba is there for everyone - old or young, straight or queer

In 1982 Abbas came to the last album so far."The hype" was never over.Sure, the hits are immortal anyway, but also every single generation since the 70s has always rediscovered ABBA for itself.In their own way.Just think of bands like the A-Teens in the 90s, the numerous cover and tribute bands, the musicals of the early 00s like Mamma Mia including films and now- of social media and the digitalization of the ABBA-Mania.The band was passed on from generation to generation like a family height.She was never gone.And since then everyone has found something in the life's work of the four musicians: inside that they can identify with.No matter whether male or female, old or young, straight or queer.

With her life's work, ABBA has done something that is worth gold: a cross -generational unity of a good mood.How nice!And let's be honest: in times of pandemic, of environmental disasters and homooficity in the middle of the EU.There is this colorful, cheerful and, above all, indispensable band the best thing that could happen to us at the moment.We need ABBA.The consolation, the happiness and the bomb hits.Damned.I wish I could travel back into time and hug the little Alba from back then could whisper her ear: your taste of music is in the right place, girl.And your outfit is really awesome.But at least now the big Alba is totally empowered.Because social media showed me: Abba fans are all around the world.